The Grumpy Grapplertag:typepad.com,2003:weblog-1133419341653337732017-03-29T12:51:28-04:00TypePadEarn Your Way to the Ground: Blast Doubletag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a01901e204628970b01b8d27075fe970c2017-03-29T12:51:28-04:002017-03-29T12:51:28-04:00This is the second post in the series of posts here at TGG about take downs. In the first post, I covered how to run the pipe from the single leg. In this post, I want to focus on the blast double--which is a simple and effective take down that...Thomas Nadelhoffer

This is the second post in the series of posts here at TGG about take downs. In the first post, I covered how to run the pipe from the single leg. In this post, I want to focus on the blast double--which is a simple and effective take down that prevents inexperienced grapplers from getting stuck underneath their sprawling opponents. Moreover, this technique--also known as the high double leg--comes more naturally than traditional low double legs (at least in my experience). That said, here are some instructionals that you might find helpful (plus a highlight video thrown in for good measure). So, watch, learn, and go train!

Taken Down by Old Age?tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a01901e204628970b01b8d26264f4970c2017-02-21T09:19:37-05:002017-02-21T10:48:16-05:00As someone who grew up wrestling, I, too, inherited the stubbornness and hardheadedness that wrestlers are well known for in grappling, mixed martial arts, and sport more generally--a mindset that is well captured by the "embrace the grind" mantra. Yet, somehow, at some point along the way, I have become...Thomas Nadelhoffer

As someone who grew up wrestling, I, too, inherited the stubbornness and hardheadedness that wrestlers are well known for in grappling, mixed martial arts, and sport more generally--a mindset that is well captured by the "embrace the grind" mantra. Yet, somehow, at some point along the way, I have become quite weary of the grind--which has already taken various tolls on my body (ranging from an ACL replacements caused by a judo mishap in 1996 to two neck surgeries to fix damage caused by a bicycle wreck in 1996 and 2016, respectively). This presents me with a quandary--namely, a disconnect between what I need and want to be able to do on the mats and in the real world and what I can actually do as a 44-year old whose body is starting to predictably fail him.

Tournament medals from my childhood, adolescence, or even adulthood will prove insufficient if and when my mettle must lamentably be tested in a real life situation. While I may be good for a take down here or there (probably a snatch single) and while I have enough muscle memory to sprawl and flatten out most untrained men roughly my size and strength [a number of important qualifications, I might add], I simply don't train enough stand up these days to have the confidence in my take downs that I should at this point. Indeed, during the past 12+ years of my own jiu jitsu journey, I have spent relatively little time honing my pre-existing take down skills. As a result, I squandered an otherwise asset. And I am not alone. As I have pointed out here before and have others have complained elsewhere, jiu jitsu has a take down problem. Far too many coaches and students are unwilling to embrace the grind. And far too many wrestlers start jiu jitsu and then follow suit.

There are several putative explanations for this. First, take downs require space if they are to be done safely. And most gyms don't have adequate space. To me, this is a dubious justification. Many judo gyms and wrestling rooms are small, and they, too, manage to make room for take downs. Second, practicing take downs can be grueling and it can grind things down to a painful halt--hence, the embrace the grind mantra. But grinds suck for good reason and it's easier enough to see why one might prefer to avoid them if at all possible! For while it is fun when you're the one successfully completing a throw, being thrown is much less pleasant and can wear down even the best trained athletes. Third, and most importantly for present purposes, practicing and using take downs can be more dangerous. This doesn't, in itself, justify gyms paying insufficient time to take downs--as many gyms do--but it does mean that one must proceed with caution.

But how is one to proceed if one is wanting to work on take downs while nursing injuries or just staving off old age? My gym (Devine Jiu Jitsu here in Charleston) is doing an increasingly better job adding take downs into their overall curriculum--both in gi and no-gi. But the focus will be more on traditional wrestling take downs than judo or sambo throws. I also plan to cover some take downs in my self-defense training and teaching. Finally, a good friend, training partner, and former D-1 wrestler is also starting to tinker with me on the feet when we flow roll.

A former gym I think very fondly of (Triangle Jiu Jitsu, run by Seth Shamp) used to implement a proper throw mat when we were practicing throws--which can otherwise take a major wear and tear on the body. The downside to these otherwise often training tools: They are expensive and take up lots of space. The same can be said of grappling dummies--which we also used growing up but which are also expensive and take up yet more space.

So, that said, how do people strike the proper balance between take downs and ground work when it comes all of the various grappling styles--especially when injuries and the other siren songs of old age start to sing?

Earn Your Way to the Ground: Run the Pipetag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a01901e204628970b01b7c8c42438970b2017-01-05T09:02:46-05:002017-01-05T09:03:38-05:00I have always been impressed with how bad many (if not most) practitioners of jiu jitsu are at take downs--even when it comes to very basic wrestling take downs such as the double leg or single leg. This is especially true for those who made their way up the ranks...Thomas Nadelhoffer

I have always been impressed with how bad many (if not most) practitioners of jiu jitsu are at take downs--even when it comes to very basic wrestling take downs such as the double leg or single leg. This is especially true for those who made their way up the ranks while not competing and always starting from the knees--a pragmatic practice that nevertheless takes much of real life out of the roll. I agree with Josh Barnett that not learning take downs is problematic. After all, if I can't dictate where the fight goes, I may never make it to the ground! This is why learning self-defense and take downs (including Judo and wrestling) ought to be part of a basic jiu jitsu curriculum. No one should be an upper belt who doesn't at least know the basics enough to be able to explain them clearly to a beginner--or, at least that's my own opinion. But given the relationship between opinions and assholes, I won't beleaguer my point any more for present purposes! Just let it suffice to say for now that I have trained at gyms around the country and I have always been surprised with how many of them neglect the crucial art of the take down (either partly or entirely).

Luckily, the gym where I am training now has been taking take downs seriously. We have a former D1 wrestler who comes in to teach stand up on Saturdays before open mats. Plus, at least in the morning classes, we have been adding take downs to our warm ups and drills. One basic technique which seems to give people problems involves "running the pipe" from the single leg snatch. So, I thought I would not only dedicate a post to running the pipe, but I would also include some videos by Dan Gable, Justin Burroughs, and Barry Davis on the fundamentals of take downs more generally. I will treat this as an inagural post in a new series about take downs called Earn Your Way to the Ground. Per usual, I will pick a technique, comb the interwebs for some interesting and illuminating videos and compile them here! Watch, learn, and go train!

First, the videos about take downs more generally:

Second, an overview of the single leg more generally:

Finally, two different versions of the single leg--namely, the knee pinch (Primo) vs. the more open stance (Hilton). Both approaches are efficient. So, both should be drilled. I personally prefer using the knee pinch as my go to choice. But for people who prefer other options from the single leg snatch, the open stance is preferable.